The Global Giggle: Ryan Gosling's Love for International Development (and My Love for Ryan Gosling)

This is the first installment of “The Global Giggle,” a series of posts that capture the funny side of global justice… because we can’t be serious all the time. Right?

For those of us who work in the field of international development, sometimes the problems can seem so huge and so insurmountable that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Sometimes we just need to remember to laugh a little, and not take ourselves too seriously. I was recently reminded of this by none other than… Ryan Gosling. (My favorite: “Hey Girl. Your love is like subsistence agriculture. You’re all I need to survive.”)

For all the jargon and technicality that pervades international development work, it is sometimes important to remember that, in the end, our success depends on building respectful and trustworthy relationships. Unfortunately (or fortunately for my husband’s sake), it’ll never depend on my relationship with Ryan Gosling.